


Miracle

by bavarian_angel



Category: MotoGP RPF, Motorcycling RPF, Motorsport RPF
Genre: Angst, Babies, Fluff, Hospitals, Longing, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 13:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11784192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bavarian_angel/pseuds/bavarian_angel
Summary: Marc disappears from racing, not giving a reason for it. Dani is left behind.





	Miracle

Dani got the news in the summer break. It looked like an innocent e-mail at first, something he received regularly from Hector. But his world stopped turning the moment when he read the first lines.

 

**To: dani.pedrosa@repsol-honda.com**

**From: hector.martin@repsol-honda.com**

**Subject: News from Marc**

_Hi Dani,_

_this isn’t an official message, but Marc asked me to send this to you. There will be an official press release tomorrow, but he wanted you to know beforehand._

_Marc won’t be riding any more races this season. From now he will step back from any official events with Honda and MotoGP. He stated personal reasons and asked to respect his privacy for any further inquiries. So far we don’t know if he will be back next season, he told us that he will let us know at the beginning of next year. From the next race on in Brno, Cal will take his place in Repsol Honda._

_I asked him why he wouldn’t tell you this in person, but he only said that he did have his reasons. Sorry to let you know like this._

_Livio will call in a meeting in the week before Brno to talk about the rest of the season. See you then, my friend. I’m sorry for this. I know that Marc and you had gotten close over the last year._

_Hector_

 

Dani had no idea how long he kept staring at the e-mail. No matter how often he read the words, he couldn’t get his head around it. Still completely dazed, he brought up his contacts, calling Marc without any hesitation.

It had rung out twice and both times he had hung up on Marc’s voicemail, before finally somebody picked up on the third try.

“ _Hello?”_

Dani’s heart stopped the moment, when he recognized Roser’s voice on the other end of the line. Trying to swallow against the lump in his throat, Dani coughed once before he found his own voice again.

“Hello, Roser. It’s Dani. I wondered if I could maybe talk to Marc...”

“ _Hey, Dani... Erm... I think this is not a good time right now.”_

Before Dani could ask what was wrong, he heard muffled voices, unable to understand what they were saying, followed by what sounded like somebody throwing up behind a closed door. The worry in his guts seemed to multiply by the second.

“Could... could you tell him I called? Maybe to call me back?”

“ _Of course. Sorry, Dani... Have a nice day.”_

Dani wasn’t even able to mumble the words _You, too_ as the beeping in the line told him that Roser had already hung up. He didn’t know why, but somehow he had the feeling that something was very wrong. However, there was still the tiny hope that Marc would call back later and tell him that he was fine and all of this scheme was just for precaution.

 

~*~

 

Two weeks later, Dani was sitting in their paddock meeting room alongside a Repsol Honda clad Cal Crutchlow. And Marc still hadn’t called him back.

 

~*~

 

The rumours and talks had calmed down by the time Aragon had arrived.

It had also been two months since Dani had talked to Marc. He still tried to call him from time to time, but it always cut straight to voice mail. Dani was sick with worry.

There had been rumours that Marc was seriously ill, maybe never returning to motorcycling at all. But every time, Alex had denied those stories to the press, stating repeatedly that it was a private matter and that he was sure that Marc would come back eventually.

This wasn’t enough for Dani though. During the few races after the summer break, he had never managed to get a hold of the younger Marquez, who barely left his motorhome which was half empty by now.

Almost all the time he didn’t spend on a bike on Thursday and Friday, Dani hung around the private part of the paddock, finally sensing his chance after the Moto2 FP2 as he knew that Alex would leave for Cervera over night, obviously taking advantage of the race being so close to home.

Only minutes after Alex had disappeared into the motorhome, Dani walked over, casually leaning against the Estrella Galicia scooter, hoping his actions wouldn’t seem suspicious. However, he didn’t even have the time to think about this, as the door of the motorhome opened and Alex stepped out, wearing sunglasses and private clothing. He stopped right in his track, when he noticed Dani.

“Hey...”

“Hi, Dani. I’m sorry, but I don’t really have time right now.”

“Why?”

Dani hoped that the shaking in his voice wasn’t obvious, but by the way Alex’s shoulders sagged, the younger man seemed to be able to read him like an open book. He also didn’t give an answer, just slightly shaking his head.

“Alex, what the fuck is going on? Why doesn’t Marc talk to me? Why has he disappeared like that?”

Sighing, Alex pulled the key for the scooter out of the pocket of his jeans, dangling it for a moment, before closing his fist around it.

“I’m sorry, Dani. It’s not my place to tell you. I wish I could, but I promised...”

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Dani didn’t want to move. He was afraid that this was his last chance, that Marc would slip away completely if he let Alex go now. But maybe, he had already lost him before all this.

Slowly nodding, Dani finally stepped away, watching as Alex got on the scooter. Just before he started it though, Dani coughed, making Alex look up one more time.

“He is okay though? He is not sick or anything...?”

A troubled smile appeared on Alex’s face, not really chasing away Dani’s fears.

“He’s not sick, I promise you.”

The words were still ringing in Dani’s ears as he watched Alex finally pull away, riding down the main path of the paddock towards the car park.

 

~*~

 

With Marc being out of contention, the championship became a four way fight. In the Repsol Honda garage, almost everybody had expected Dani to struggle because, despite his stoic face, it was obvious that something was off with him.

Of course, nobody really knew what had been going on between him and Marc, but it was enough for some people to already write him off the championship. And it might have been right, until the night before the race in Aragon.

Dani didn’t know how he had put it on the front row somehow, but when he was lying in the bed of his motorhome, staring at the ceiling once again unable to rest easily, something inside him clicked.

The situation with Alex was still running through his mind. By now he knew that all his calls would not be returned at the moment, but there was still something he could do.

If Marc wasn’t there, Dani would do all things possible to win that championship - for himself and Marc. When he finally closed his eyes that night, he found Marc’s smile in his dreams, the normally rushed touching, soft and longingly this time.

 

~*~

 

By the time the grid lined up in Valencia, Dani found himself on pole - with 5 points behind Dovi in the championship rankings.

With 4 laps to go, chasing down an unbelievable strong Jorge, with an over 2 seconds big lead on him in second place, Dani saw his pitboard ‘DOVIZIOSO OUT’.

As the chequered flag was out, Dani crossed the line, his vision blurred with tears. He was world champion.

 

~*~

 

Pulling the tie free from his shirt and throwing it towards the jacket of his gala suit on the passenger seat, Dani hoped that his disappearance wouldn’t be noticed any time soon.

After he had seen the whole Marquez family at the gala, of course sans Marc, he didn’t think twice as he nicked Hector’s car keys. It would be now or never - and Dani simply couldn’t live with the never option. Most of the traffic from the race had cleared out and with everybody staying for the test on Monday, it didn’t proof difficult to leave Valencia on the fastest way.

Inside the pocket of his jacket, his mobile vibrated, but Dani simply ignored it; and after three times it stopped anyway. Dani knew that he was way over the speed limit, but he didn’t care. Hopefully, he simply wouldn’t be stopped and even if it happened, he would try to pull the celebrity and world champion card.

Once again today, luck was on his side though and a while later, he pulled up at a certain house in Cervera. Despite his determination on the way here, Dani suddenly felt nervous. He had no idea what would happen and a part of him feared that one mistake could destroy anything they had ever built between them.

Of course, he remembered that they had promised each other not to let this thing between them change their relationship as teammates or friends, but this had been so long ago. And maybe, this long time without Marc made Dani actually realise what was at stake here. Taking a deep breath, he finally stepped out of the car, slowly walking over to the front door. His hand was shaking when he pressed the bell.

It took a long time, until the light was turned on in the hallway, and Dani had almost feared that all of it had been in vain, but then all too soon, the door opened.

“Grandpa, did you forget...”

Illuminated from behind, there was Marc standing in the doorway, the amusement on his face quickly fading into shock. His face turned completely white and Dani feared he would fall over as he grabbed the door handle for balance.

“Hey, Marc...”

Dani didn’t get an answer, as Marc just kept shaking his head in a slow way. In the low light, Dani wasn’t sure if he could make out tears in the younger man’s eyes, but when he cast his glance lower, there was something even the big grey hoodie couldn’t hide. There was a distinctive bump on Marc’s belly.

 

~*~

 

In the end, Dani couldn’t even remember how he got into the Marquez living room. By the time his mind caught up with his body, he found himself sitting on a couch, a beer in his hand, staring at Marc who was lounging on the other couch, his legs folded under him. A protective hand was resting on his belly which seemed even bigger while sitting down. Dani needed several gulps of his beer, until he finally found his voice.

“Is this really happening?”

Biting his lip, Marc only nodded, his eyes looking down.

“How far...?”

“Seven months...”

Despite his woozy state, Dani immediately started counting backwards in his mind, until his eyes went wide. His beer was about to fall from his shaking hands as he let the bottle slip to the floor.

“Seven months... That means it was around...”

“Jerez. The night after the race... We were both too drunk to think about protection...”

Dani could only nod as the images of that night flooded his brain. He had always regarded it as something special, but thinking about the consequences he found no word in his vocabulary to describe it otherwise. There was a question forming in his mind, but when he looked up at Marc - really looked at him - he knew that asking it would be complete nonsense.

“I’m becoming a papa...”

If he hadn’t sat down already, Dani was sure he would hit the ground right now. Ever since realising that he was gay, he hadn’t really thought about this, the chances usually slim to none. But now he was here, in a living room in Cervera, staring at his teammate, staring at the hidden bump, suddenly realizing that his child was in there.

“Do you know...?”

Dani couldn’t finish the question, but obviously Marc knew what he was talking about. He smiled softly and nodded. The younger man struggled to get up from the couch. Instinctively Dani was about to reach out and help him, but the look on Marc’s face immediately stopped him. Despite being heavily pregnant, he was still as stubborn as always.

Marc finally got to his feet and walked carefully over to the cupboard on the other side of the room. Watching Marc move like that, Dani noticed all the changes in his body and despite the differences to the athletic young man he remembered, his heart was filled with a warm feeling. Marc picked something up from the cupboard before returning to Dani and coming to an halt in front of him.

“It’s a girl...”

Marc was holding a picture from an ultrasound. It took Dani a moment to recognize the shape, but when he did, there were tears in his eyes. That was his baby, his little girl. Without even thinking about it, he stroked the picture, his heart almost bursting with love. Just an hour ago, he didn’t even knew that she existed and now he was already in love with her.

Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Dani’s eyes wandered up to Marc’s face, who looked at him uncertainly. There was so much doubt and fear and Dani wanted to wipe it all away. Dani smiled softly before his eyes once again dropped to Marc’s bump.

“Can I...?”

Marc didn’t answer, but he slowly pulled his hoodie up, revealing his stomach. For a moment, Dani just stared. It felt so unreal, but yet he was seeing it with his own eyes. Slowly but surely, he placed his hands on the bump, feeling Marc shivering under the touch.

“Hey, baby girl... it’s your other papa...”

Now Dani was sure that he must be dreaming as he suddenly felt a small thump against his hand. He looked up at Marc in astonishment and the younger man was simply beaming back at him.

“That was her, right? That was our baby girl?”

“Alex is determined that she will be a motorcycle racer one day. I think with the strength of her kicks, she will rather be a football player.”

They both laughed loudly before Dani felt yet another kick; it sent an immediate bolt of love towards his heart.

“Marc?”

“Yeah?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sighing, Marc pulled the hoodie down again. As soon as the touch was lost to Dani, he felt a deep regret; it even worsening when he once again saw the worry in Marc’s face. Almost as if he wanted to bring some distance between them, Marc sat down on the other sofa again, pulling his legs under him as good as possible. He couldn’t look at Dani as he started to rub his left ear - a well known sign to the ones who really knew him that he was actually nervous.

“I was so shocked when I found out. I thought I had a stomach bug or something. I was so tired all the time, but I thought that was just the stress from the championship this season. Until I couldn’t take it any more and went to the doctors... I never thought that I could be one of those guys, you know. The moment they told me how far I was along, I immediately knew that it could have only happened in Jerez. At first, I really wanted to tell you, but then I got so scared... I remembered what you told me... that you didn’t want another long term relationship with a guy, not after what happened with Jorge. And I was the one who insisted on not using a condom that night. I know you didn’t want kids while you were still racing. So I didn’t want to burden you with this-”

“Okay, stop right there!”

Marc looked up shocked as Dani almost jumped up from the sofa, walking over to the younger man and sitting down next to him. In a tenderly gesture he lay one hand on Marc’s cheek and the other one on the covered bump.

“You really thought that you giving me a child would be a burden? That I wouldn’t want you two?”

Blinking against the tears in his eyes, Marc nodded. He was biting his lip and trying to avoid Dani’s look, but the older man was having none of that. With a gentle touch to Marc’s chin, he lifted his face until their eyes met again.

“Babe, I know I said all those things, but I’ve been missing you so much over those last months. I was so worried that you were sick or something terrible was going on. I realised that I was lying to myself. This was always more than casual. I love you, Marc. And I already love that little baby girl growing inside of you. I know it won’t be easy. But I want to make this work. With you. With her. And please promise me to stop thinking you could ever be a burden when you’re giving me the most precious gift in the world.”

By the time Dani finished, Marc wasn’t able to keep back the sobs any more. He crumbled into Dani’s arms, both subconsciously careful of the bump as Marc buried his face in Dani’s shirt.

 

~*~

 

The unnerving ringing of his mobile phone startled Dani from his sleep. For a moment, he didn’t know what it was or why his alarm would ring in the middle of the night. But then he realised that it wasn’t his alarm, but actually someone calling him - immediately pressing the panic button in his mind, when he saw Alex’s number on the illuminated screen.

“Alex?!”

“ _Dani! Please tell me you’re not in Switzerland...”_

“No, I’m at my parents’ in Sabadell. Alex, what’s wrong?”

“ _There are some kind of complications... Marc is on the way to the hospital... Mama rode with him in the ambulance. Papa and me are on our way there...”_

Dani was sure that his heart stopped beating. This must have been a dream. Just the other day he had learned about his daughter, how can there be something wrong now?

“What happened, Alex?”

“ _We were woken up by Marc’s screams. He’s in a lot of pain...”_

“What about our baby?”

“ _They can’t say anything without the tests at the hospital.”_

Dani’s own tears were reflected in Alex’s voice as he threw away his blanket and was already reaching for his jeans he had discarded earlier.

“I’m already on my way.”

 

~*~

 

When asking for Marc’s name at the reception of the hospital, Dani couldn’t even hear his own voice over the loud thumping of his heart. Obviously, the nurse had been told that he would arrive as she immediately gave him directions, but he was so out of his mind that he couldn’t understand Spanish nor Catalan any more.

The older lady must have noticed the state he was in as she came around the desk, lying a comforting hand on his lower back as she lead him through the labyrinth of corridors and doors, until they finally arrived in what seemed like a private waiting room - Alex, Julia and Roser seated on chairs with the shock still visible in their faces.

“Do you have any news?”

Roser nodded and padded the seat next to her.

“Yeah, but you should sit down, Dani.”

He wanted to scream that he didn’t want to sit down, didn’t want to accept that there was a reason to sit down. But in the end, he nodded slowly. His legs almost gave way under him, when he let himself fall down on the chair.

“It appears that Marc has some inner bleeding. They don’t know how it happened. When we arrived here, they immediately checked the baby. And they decided to make an emergency c-section to make sure that Marc and the baby will be alright.”

It seemed to take ages until everything filtered through Dani’s mind, but when it finally did, he felt like his world had just stopped turning.

“But... it’s too early... it’s too early for her...”

“I know. But they said it was the only way. They’re already preparing Marc for the surgery.”

 

~*~

 

Dani had no idea how much time had passed exactly, but it seemed like years. Every passing minute his worry grew, his mind coming up with every possible horrible scenario - until finally the door to their waiting room opened and a young doctor clad in green surgical scrubs came in.

“I’m looking for a Dani Pedrosa?”

Dani immediately shot to his feet, about to rush over to him before he realised that it might be highly inappropriate to hold the doctor by his shirt until he delivered his news.

“That’s me. Are they...?”

“Congratulations on your new born daughter.”

Time seemed to freeze around him, his whole body shaking and his mouth hanging open in disbelief. He was really a father now. Everybody came rushing over to him, hugging and congratulating, but Dani still stared at the doctor.

“Are they both okay?”

“Concerning the circumstances, Marc and your daughter are doing alright.”

“What does that mean?”

The doctor nodded towards the chairs, but Dani just shook his head. He couldn’t sit down again. Clinging to Roser and Alex for balance he wanted him to continue like this.

“Marc lost a lot of blood before and during the surgery. He’s stable right now, but we want to monitor him for some time to make sure that there are no further complications. We expect him to come around soon.”

“My daughter?”

“Your daughter has been born several weeks too early. Our specialized paediatricians checked her thoroughly. Unfortunately, her lungs haven’t developed yet completely. That’s why we had to put her onto a ventilator. She will be treated with special medication to help her develop, so we hope that we can take it off soon. She will have to spend a few weeks in an incubator on our paediatric intensive care until all her stats have stabilized. We will monitor her closely to see if anything else will come up.”

By the time the doctor had finished, tears were running down Dani’s cheeks. Horrible images were streaming through his mind. He just wanted to be with his daughter and protect her from all the harm of this world.

“Can I see them?”

“You can go through and see Marc. As soon as your daughter will be settled, we’ll tell you and you will be able to see her. Does the little one have a name already?”

“Yes... Remei.”

“Remei Pedrosa Marquez... Oh, Dani, that is beautiful.”

Dani’s tears were reflected in Roser’s eyes as she pulled him close, kissing his forehead in an emotional gesture. They all huddled closer together, whispered words exchanged, before Dani nodded at the doctor.

“I would love to see Marc now.”  


~*~

 

Marc looked so small in the hospital bed. There were a few machines constantly monitoring his stats. At first Dani thought he was still asleep, but when he approached him, he could see that his eyes were slightly open, his state obviously more than just drowsy. Stepping up to the side of the bed and trying to ignore the drip with a blood transfusion, Dani reached for Marc’s hand. He waited until the younger man’s eyes settled on him and his heart missed a beat when the traces of a smile appeared on his face.

“Hey, babe.”

“Dani...”

“Congratulations on giving birth to our beautiful daughter. You’re amazing, Marc. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there earlier.”

“It’s okay... How... how is she?”

“They had to put her on a ventilator, but they think with a bit of time and care she will be alright. She’s a fighter. I know she is with you as her father.”

“I heard her other papa is a warrior though...”

Marc already managed a grin again, but before Dani could reply to that, there was a slight knock on the door and a nurse in green scrubs entered the room.

“Little Remei wants to see her papa.”

Marc and Dani both teared up at this simple sentence. For a moment, Dani hesitated though, he didn’t want to leave Marc again so soon, but the younger man could read his thoughts in his eyes.

“Go. Tell her I love her and that I will see her as soon as possible.”

 

~*~

 

The fabric of the scrubs was scratching against Dani’s skin and the rubbed in disinfectant made his hands tingle, but he would it all do ten times over again as it meant that he wouldn’t bring in any possible harm to his little daughter. An equally dressed nurse brought him into the room where three small incubators were lined up. Various machines made sounds that hurt Dani’s heart, but as soon as his eyes caught the very first glimpse of Remei, it all faded into the background.

A sheer wave of joy crashed into him, immediately followed by worry at seeing how tiny she really was. Her skin was a dark plump red, her small head covered with a pink cap. Almost all of her face seemed to disappear behind the ventilator in her mouth. Dani blinked against the tears threatening to fall from his eyes as the nurse showed him where he could put his hands through to touch his daughter. He was visibly shaking when he let the tip of his finger stroke down her arm. She was warm and soft.

“Hey, princess. It’s your papa. Welcome to this world, my beautiful Remei. Your papi will be here as soon as he can, but he also needs to rest at first. So I will take good care of both of you right now...”

 

~*~

 

Time in the paediatric intensive care unit seemed to pass slower than in the rest of the world. It may have been due to not wanting to take your eyes off that little human being in their warm cocoons. At least that was the case with Dani.

Luckily it was the winter break and he didn’t need to prepare for any race as he spend almost all his time in that slightly darkened room, breaks only to check up on Marc, being forced to eat by Roser or his own mother, or sleeping restlessly in a hotel nearby.

Usually he wasn’t alone though. If it would have been possible, the whole Marquez and Pedrosa clan would have camped out in the room, but according to the rules they were taking turns filling the second spot next to Dani.

Marc’s recovery was a bit slower than expected, the wound from the surgery not healing as the doctors had expected, but he was willing to pay the price by sneaking off to see Remei whenever possible. No pain in this world would have stopped him from being there on the day they took Remei off the ventilator, a small tube with oxygen the only help she needed to breath now.

When they finally got the okay to take her out of the incubator for a short amount of time, Dani would have given everything to let Marc take his spot, when he leaned back in the comfy chair, his shirt discarded as the nurse carefully placed Remei onto his naked chest. A soft and cuddly blanket was placed over them, keeping both of them warm as Remei snuggled into Dani’s chest, her tiny fingers moving through the hint of hair.

Holding her in place with his right hand, Dani reached out to Marc who was sitting in a wheelchair next to them. Their fingers intertwined as tears were running down their faces while Remei yawned slightly. She fell asleep to her papas stroking her back, Dani’s heartbeat a lullaby in her ears.

 

~*~

 

Coming back from his cycling tour, Dani once again noticed that his house was just that bit warmer than it was usually in February. He knew that he would certainly notice it in heating costs, but he didn’t care about this one bit.

Taking off his shoes, he listened to the almost silent house, before he picked up the low voice singing a Catalan song in the living room. And as soon as he stepped through the door, Dani’s heart melted once again, like it did several times a day by now.

Marc was lying on the couch, his hoodie on the floor in front of him, holding Remei close to his chest. Despite being home from the hospital for quite some time now and developing like a normal baby, Remei often had times when she seemed very distressed, only finding peace in the warmth of the chest of one of her papas.

As soon as Marc noticed Dani in the doorway, he stopped his singing, blushing in embarrassment, even though Dani had told him that he thought it was very cute.

“Hey...”

“Hi.”

“How was training?”

“It was good. How are my favourite two people in this world?”

“We enjoyed playing with that plush bike from Alex, but I think her stomach is acting up again. I called your mama, she will bring some of that other formula when they come up tomorrow, the one we had before. I think it was easier on her tummy.”

Dani nodded as he stroked the thin layer of dark hair on Remei’s head before kissing her forehead, followed by a slightly different kiss for Marc. The soft touch aroused their daughter from her light slumber. For a moment Dani already prepared himself for the whining as Remei wrinkled her tiny nose, but when her sleepy eyes opened and caught Dani’s face in front of her, she just made an short happy sound of recognition.

“Hello, princess. Is the tummy rumbling again, hmm?”

As carefully as possible, Dani picked her up from Marc’s chest, cuddling close. At first he hesitated to cuddle her close to his sweaty cycling shirt, but for Remei the warmth and the smell was just a sign that she was close to her papa. Gurgling happy sounds, she buried her face into Dani’s neck as he settled down on the sofa next to Marc, who immediately lay his arm around them, pulling them close.

Just half a year ago, Dani had thought he had lost any chance of finding happiness, but now he had his own little family. He had found his paradise.

 


End file.
